Narita, Chiba Pref., Jan. 18 (Jiji Press)—US Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy left Japan on Wednesday, after staying in the country for three years and two months.
Kennedy arrived at Narita International Airport near Tokyo in the evening with her husband, Edwin Schlossberg, and others.
"Bye! I'm going to miss you," she told reporters, as she entered the terminal building. Before boarding…(More)

Tokyo, Jan. 16 (Jiji Press)—Outgoing US Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy expressed her gratitude on Monday to the people of Okinawa Prefecture, southernmost Japan, as part of a farewell video message.
"I'm grateful to the people of Okinawa for helping me to better understand their struggle and our shared history," Kennedy said in the message released the same day.
"I hope we continue to …(More)

The city of Hiroshima encountered an unspeakable fate as a staging ground for Japan’s war effort and has achieved impressive recovery as an inspirational icon of peace. Hiroshima’s nuclear victimization is more pertinent than ever as Japanese seek to come to terms with their wartime past. The author examines that pertinence in the context of Japan’s postwar pacifism.(More)

Washington DC’s beloved cherry blossoms are a well-known symbol of US-Japanese friendship. Japan’s gift 103 years ago of the trees that stand along the Potomac River is an oft-told tale. Less well known is the US gift of flowering dogwoods to Japan three years later in reciprocation.
The gift from the United States whetted Japanese interest in flowering dogwoods, and the trees now beautify sett…(More)

Japan and the United States have held different views regarding the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But over the past two decades efforts have been made on both sides to reconcile over this issue. What progress has been made?(More)

Japanese athletes experience success and disappointment in Sochi; a new governor defeats antinuclear candidates to win election in Tokyo; and record snowfall brings chaos to parts of Japan. Look back on the top Japanese news stories of February 2014.(More)

Public diplomacy efforts are an increasingly vital part of Japan’s diplomatic outreach, particularly in the light of friction between it and its neighbors over territorial and historical issues. On November 5, 2013, we cohosted “The Popularity of Nations: How and Why Governments Seek Public Approval Abroad,” a symposium to explore public diplomacy questions. Kent Calder, director of the Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies at Johns Hopkins University, gave the keynote address printed below.(More)

Caroline Kennedy looks set to become the next US ambassador to Japan. While her name is widely recognized, there are concerns over her political and diplomatic skills, since both are unknown. Japan, however, should focus on making the most of her name recognition in America. Specialist on US politics and foreign policy Nakayama Toshihiro gives his take on the situation.(More)